Improvement in mowing-machines



e UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO RUEL W. WHITNEY AND F. M. HARDISON, OFSOUTH BERWIOK, MAINE, ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVES AND ABNER C. STOOKIN, OFSAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MOWlNG-IVIACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 51,396, dated December5, 1865.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that we, RUEL W. XVHITNEY andFREEMAN M. HARDIsoN, of South Berwick,in the county ofYork and StateofMaine, have invented an Improved Mowing-Machine; and we do herebydeclare the'same to be fully described inthe following specification andrepresented in the accompanying drawings, of wliich- Figure is a topview, and Fig. 2 a. vertical and longitudinal section of it.

In such drawings, A denotes the carriage or platform ofthe machine asprovided with thills a c and mounted on an axle, b. The said axlecarries two wheels, c d, one of which-viz., c-revolves freely on theaxle and independently ot' the other, which is fixed to the axle, whichalso carries a rotary cam-wheel, B, ou whose periphery, and extendingentirely around it, is a serpentine groove, c. This groove is to receivea friction-roller, f,'arranged on a stud projecting from the rear sideof an inclined lever, g, such lever at its upper end bein g jointed to arocker-shaft, h. The said shaft It is not only supported horizontallyover the platform A by means of two standards, t' t', projecting upwardtherefrom, but has a bent arm, k, extending from it and formed as shownin the drawings. The said shaft has an auxiliary arm, l, projecting downfrom it and resting against the free end of a curved spring, m, suchspring being fastened to the platform A, and arranged thereon, as shownin Figs. l and 2. By moving the arm k downward the rocker-shaft will beturned in its bearing, and will so move the lever g as to raise itsfrictionroller out ot' the cam-groove e, the spring on on the lever, onbeing again elevated, serv-*ing to reverse the motion of the shafts soas to engage the leverg with the groove of the cam B.

A rod, a, jointed to the lower end of the lever g, connects such leverwith a reciprocating serrated cutter or knife, O, which is placed andworks in the usual manner in a toothed rake-head, D, hinged to the footparto of a leg, E, which extends downward from this platform in manneras exhibited in Fig. L. The rake-head is so hinged to the said foot asto be capable of bein g turned alittle downward from a horizontalposition, as well as up into a vertical position or thereabout.

The foot o carries a small wheel, p, to rest and run on the ground andaid in supporting the machine thereon.

A hand-lever, q, having the sector r of a pulley extending from itslesser arm, is applied to a fulcrum, s, projecting from the carriage,such hand-levers being arranged with respect to the bentarm 7c in manneras shown in the drawings. A chain, t, depending from the Lipper terminusof the are of the sector, is attached to the rake-head D. On laying holdof the longer arm of the lever q, and pressing it downward, we can raisethe rake-head more or less. By forcing the said arm farther down, so asto depress the bent arm k, we may effect the disengagement of theinclined lever g or its friction-roller with the cam B, a springlatch,u, serving to catch the lever qand hold it downward so as to retain theinclined lever out of engagement with the cam. When the inclined leveris out of action with the cam the two wheels c d of the machine will befree to revolve, and the cam will turn with their shaft and produce nomovement of the inclined lever. As a consequence there will be undersuch circumstance no reciprocating longitudinal movements of theserrated cutter or knife within the rake-head.

In the construction ot' our machine we have endeavored to dispense withgears or cogged wheels, which are generally attended with much noise andfriction while in operation. IVe have also endeavored to produce asimple and effective machine, one easily managed by a person while onthe seat o of its platform.

IVe claim- The combination and arrangement of parts by which thevertical movements of the knifehead and the reciprocating movements ofthe knife are effected, and the mechanism for operating the knife isthrown into or out of action as circumstances lnay require, such partsbeing the cam B, with its serpentine groove e, the inclined lever g,with its stud, rollerf, and connecting-rod n, the rocker-shaft h, withits arms k l and spring m, and the lever q and its chain t, the wholebeing arranged with respect to the wheels, platform, and rake-head, andapplied thereto substantially in manner and so as to operate ashereinbefore specified.

RUEL WV. VHITNEY. FREEMAN M. HARDISON.

Witnesses:

HIEAM H. HoBBs, CHARLES G. HoBBs.

